Door check and closer.



PATENTED JUNE 12, 1906. G. T. SHEETS.

DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1904.

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ma W6 ATTORNEYS No. 822,992. PATENTED'JUNE 12, 1906.

G. T. SHEETS.

DOOR CHECK AND CLOSER. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2. 1904.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE THOMAS SHEETS, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO GEORGE GUNN GRAY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

noon CHECK AND CLOSER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 12, 1906.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I GEORGE THOMAS SHEETS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a new and Improved Door Check and Closer, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to door checks and closers, and especially to those devices of this kind which employ a dash-pot or cushioningcylinder.

The object of the invention is provide a device of the kind described with special means for regulating the action of the dash-pot and for facilitating the disconnection of the device from the door. Arrangement is made for regulating the tension of the spring which is used in connection with the closer and for attaching the device for operation with or without the dash-pot.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter and definitely set forth in the claims. I

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a door and its frame to which my invention has been applied. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the dash-pot and the spring and its contiguous parts. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the door and its frame, showing my device as attached to the same, the doorbeing supposed to have a spring for closing it. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section taken through the doorframe and the door, representing the door in a partially-open position, parts being represented as viewed from the under side. Fig. 5 is a view of the general character of Fig. 3, but representing the device as used with a spring having modified adjusting means therefor. Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 6 6 of Fig. 5 in order to further illustrate the modified adjusting means. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a door-frame and door and illustrating a modified construction of the door check and closer. Fig.8 is a section taken substantially on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7, and Fig. 9 is a vertithe lintel and is attached to a retaining-collar 7 by means of a suitable pin 8, as indicated. Upon the under side of the lintel a ratchet-wheel 9 is attached, with which cooperates a pawl 10, pressed toward the same by a suitable spring 1 1, as shown.

At substantially the middle point of the projecting portion of the stud 5 there is loosely attached a plunger-rod 12, the same being provided with an eye 13 for this purpose. This plunger-rod is constrained in the closing direction of the door by means of a spring 14, which is preferably formed in oppositely-disposed helical coils 15 15 surrounding the stud 5, as indicated. These coils are connected integrally by a bifurcated extension or tongue 16, formed from the wire of which the coil is made. This tongue preferably curves rearwardly, as shown, and its tip 17 is received in a recess or notch 18 in the edge of the plunger-rod 12, as shown most clearly in Fig. 4E.

The plunger-rod 12 is provided with a head 19, which fits loosely Within a dash-pot cylinder 20 in the manner shown. The extremity of the dash-pot cylinder opposite the plunger comprises a fixed head 21, permanently secured thereto, from which head projects an ear 22, which is pivotally mounted, by means of a pin 23, in a bifurcated bracket 24. As shown, the bracket 24 is attached to the adjacent face of the door. Upon the face of the plunger-head 19 adjacent to the head 21 there is attached a packing-leather 25, the same having a cupped edge 26, turning outwardly and resting upon the inner face of the dash-pot cylinder, as indicated. This packing-piece is held in position by means of a follower-disk 27, attached by means of a suitable screw 28, as shown. It should be stated that the diameter of this disk is slightly less than the inner diameter of the leather when cupped and that by tightening the screw in such a manner as to clamp the leather more tightly against the face of the plunger-head the edges of the leather will be pressed out more firmly against the wall of the dash-pot cylinder, as will be readily understood.

In order to enable the degree of this pressure to be regulated in the manner suggested above, the inner face of the head 21 is provided with a projection or spur 29, which is formed with a well-defined edge 30 similar to that of a screw-driver, the same being located in alinement with the screw 28. When it is desired to adjust this pressure, it is only necessary to detach the end of the cylinder which is attached to the door and then advance the same until the screw-driver edge 30 engages the notch of the screw 28, whereupon by rotating the cylinder the screw may be tightened or loosened, producing the de sired effect.

In order to permit the gradual escape of air from the dash-pot cylinder, the same is provided with a pin-hole 31 in the usual manner.

The outer extremity of the coil 15 is turned axially with respect to the stud, as shown, and received in an opening 32 in the adjacent face of the ratchet-wheel 9, as will be readily understood. The outer end of the coil 15 is similarly turned. and received in an opening which is formed in the upper face of a cap 33, the said cap being applied upon the reduced lower extremity of the stud 5 and held securely in place by a suitable screw 34.

In order to regulate the tension of the spring when desired, this result can be readily accomplished by rotating theratchetwheel, which tightens the coil adjacent thereto, as will be readily understood. The outer portion of the coil can be regulated by loosening the cap 33 and securing the same in an advanced angular position. 4

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified arrangement for regulating the tension of the spring, the construction of the device being the same in other respects. In this instance the ratchetwheel 9 is replaced by a tension-plate 36, the same having projecting ears 37, facilitating the application of screws for attaching the same to the lintel 38. The body of this plate 36 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially-disposed openings 39, which are adapted to receive the projecting extremity 40 of a coil-spring 41, as indicated. Evidently by releasing the projecting extremity 40 the same may be inserted in an. opening occupying an advance position in such a manner as to maintain the spring under greater tension. In this instance the operation of the cap-plate 42 would be the same as that of the cap 33.

Where the device is attached to doors which must be removed from time to time, such as screen-doors, the pin 23 is to be removed, and with this end in view it is provided with an upwardly-disposed head, and its shank passes down through the bracket 24, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1.

I/Vhere the device is applied to doors which already have a spring attached thereto, an arrangement such as that shown in Fig. 3 is provided, comprising a special stud 43, to which the plunger-rod 12 is attached in any spitable manner, passing into the dash-pot 45, as before. In this instance it should be observed that the device does not comprise a spring.

In some cases it may be desirable to use the device simply as a door-closer, the dash pot or check being dispensed with. Under these circumstances I provide an additional bracket 46, (shown in Fig. 4,) which comprises an expanded foot 47 to facilitate the attachment of the same to the face of the door. From this foot a rod or shank 48 projects horizontally across the face of the door adjacent to the position of the plunger, but the plunger would be dispensed with and the spring applied. directly to the shank 48 in some such position as that indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 4. 4 Evidently with this arrangement the spring will operate to close the door and allow the same to open, it being understood that as the door moves the tip 17 of the spring would slide along upon the inner face of the shank 48.

When iron doors are used, their frames are usually narrow, so that there is no surface exposed under the lintel of the door-frame, to enable the attachment of the device in the manner described and illustrated in Fig. 1. For this reason I provide a modified construction (shown in Fig. 7) in which the stud 49 is mounted in the socket 50, which socket is provided with a vertical plate 51, attached to the forward face 52 of the lintel of the doorframe. The socket is formed integral with a flange 53, which projects substantially at right angles to the plate 51, extending outwardly from the door-frame, as will be readily understood. To the under side of the flange 53 a ratchet-wheel 54 is attached. While this ratchet-wheel 54 may be of the same construction as that described in con nection with the preferred form of the invention in Figs. 7 to 9, the ratchet-wheel is represented of a modified construction, the object being to enable the device to be applied equally well to doors which open in either direction. With this modified construction the ratchet-wheel is provided on opposite sides with teeth 55, which project, as shown, in opposite directions, and the flange 53 is provided with oppositely-disposed openings 56, which afford means for mounting a pawl- 57 with a suitable screw 58. It will of course be understood that these openings 56 are symmetrically placed with respect to the horizontal axis of the flange 53, the teeth on the side adjacent to the pawl projecting in a direction against the same, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 8. In order to maintain the pawl 57 constantly against the ratchetwheel, the rear face of the same is provided with a small leaf-spring 59, which abuts against either of the fixed studs 60, which project outwardly from the flange 53 at suitable points, as indicated. The modifications in this form do not extend beyond the parts which have been just described, the spring 61, the plunger 62, and the dash-pot cylinder 63 being substantially the same as in the preferred form and applied as previously described.

It should be understood that in practice the different parts could be readily modified in design to adapt them especially for the particular doorways or door-frames to which they are to be attached.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a door-check, a dash-pot comprising a cylinder having ahead, in combination with a plunger slidably mounted within said cylinder, a packing member attached to said plunger, a fastening device for the same, and means whereby said head may engage said fastening device.

2. In a door-check, in combination, a cylinder, a plunger slidably mounted therein, a packing-leather attached to the inner face of said plunger, a disk beyond the same, and a screw passing through said disk and seated in said plunger, said cylinder having a head with a projecting edge which may engage said screw.

3. In a door-closer in combination, a spring adaptedto be attached to a doorframe, means actuated thereby for closing the door, a plate engaging said spring and gaging said spring and adapted to adjust the tension thereof, said ratchet-wheel having circumferentially-disposed teeth arranged in sets projecting in opposite directions, a pawl adapted to cooperate with said ratchet-wheel, said plate having oppositely-disposed openings, a member engaged by said spring for closing the door, and means adapted to mount said pawl to cooperate with either of said sets of teeth.

5. In a device of the class described, in combination, a dash-pot adapted to be mounted on the face of the door, a plunger cooperating with said dash-pot, means for removably attaching said plunger to the doorframe, a spring normally engaging said plunger and adapted to constrain said door in a closing direction, and a bracket attached to the face of said door adjacent to said spring and having a shank disposed parallel with said plunger and which may be engaged by said spring when said dash-pot and plunger are removed.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE THOMAS SHEETS.

Witnesses:

BISMARCK SNYDER. C. E. MARKS. 

